The United States didn't become the super power of the world overnight or by unanimous decision, but rather by dominating power and influence in other parts of the world. The U.S. is a democracy where the people decide what laws pass and which laws don't. Often we find it that our opinions can change depending on the situations we are in, or by growing up and having new experiences. Most of the laws in the United States were created before we were born and voted on by previous generations. As the generations change, so do people's mindset on what's acceptable in today's society. What was illegal decades ago could be seen different by other generations which is why we vote to change certain laws every so many years that the citizens do not agree with. For a couple years now, issues regarding laws in the criminal justice system have been seen in the news because of the Department of Justice and their negative involvement with citizens. The criminal justice system has had laws that were created in the 70s and haven't changed since although the times have changed and newer laws have been passed that interfere with the older laws which can be solved by reforming the criminal justice system. 

The Department of Justice is the world's largest office and the central agency for the enforcement of federal laws. It ensures public safety against foreign and domestic threats such as terrorists and crimes. As of 2006, the Department of Justice has employed over 110,000 in fields such as the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Prisons. The Department of Justice also oversees many people incarcerated in the system. In fact, according to the Whitehouse, "In 2009, nearly seven million individuals were under supervision of the state and Federal criminal justice systems. Nearly two million of these individuals were incarcerated for their crimes, while the remaining five million were on probation or parole being supervised in the community" (DoJ online). Which indicates that a small percentage of Americans are actively part of the criminal justice system as either inmates or parolees. According to the Department of Justice, if the criminal justice system were to be reformed, certain federal crimes would be affected such as kidnapping, bank burglary and fraud, civil rights violations and narcotics violations. These laws being affected does not mean that they do not hold any power in the justice system, it simply means they would be adjusted to appropriate a 21st century society in the United States.

There are several problems with the current sentencing guidelines that deals with mandatory sentences and sentencing ranges depending on the crime committed. Rachel Barkow, director at the center on the Admission of Criminal Law at New York University stated that:

"By almost any measure, federal prosecutors wield too much power. Because many federal laws govern similar behavior and are written broadly, prosecutors commonly have multiple charges from which to choose. This means they typically have many sentencing ranges to choose from as well. Thus, they can  --  and do  --  threaten defendants who want to exercise their trial rights with charges that will carry longer sentences (sometimes decades longer) than the charges they will file if defendants plead guilty. On average, federal defendants who refuse to waive their right to a jury trial receive a sentence three times longer than those who plead. And with the prevalence of mandatory minimum laws, a prosecutor's charging decision often dictates a sentence that a judge is powerless to avoid. It is no wonder 97 percent of federal convictions are the result of guilty pleas." (Barkow)

Barkow is in favor of eliminating mandatory sentencing and allowing for more discretion in a court room by judges and juries in order to allow for more flexibility. Another issue regarding sentencing deals with criminal sex offenders and their lifetime registration with the system. Under the current laws, sex offenders are required to register themselves even after leaving jail or prison. Because of this, they are often limited to where they can reside, or work, despite completing their sentences. This specific example can be broadened to where we can not only see how it affects criminals who have been registered as sex offenders, but also to criminals who face drug charges, or any charge that shows up on record after having served the time. In a sense, it's as if these people are kept locked up because of the charge that follows them everywhere they go and affects their daily lives for the rest of their life. However, I am not saying that we grant these criminals amnesty, but rather that we look for a new solution to the problems that these criminals are facing today for mistakes they committed in the past. "Over 600,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S., including individuals convicted of non-violent crimes such as consensual sex between teenagers, prostitution, and public urination, as well as those who committed their only offenses decades ago" (Human Rights Watch online).

In 1971 the Nixon administration began the "War on Drugs" when he "dramatically increased the size and presence of federal drug control agencies, and pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants" (Drug policy online), and in 1973 with the creation of the DEA. It continued through the Carter and Reagan era and later increased the penalties during during the Clinton and Bush presidencies for drug-related crimes. "Within the past 40 years, the U.S. government has spent over $2.5 trillion dollars fighting the War on Drugs. Despite the ad campaigns, increased incarceration rates and a crackdown on smuggling, the number of illicit drug users in America has risen over the years and now sits at 19.9 million Americans," writes Time's Claire Suddath. In the 20th century when these laws were put into action, the United states was in a different time. Marijuana had not yet been decriminalized in certain states, gas prices were under a dollar and crime rates were higher. After more than a decade has past, the United States is not the same country it was back when these laws were put in place. Marijuana is decriminalized in certain states, gas prices are reaching three dollars and crime rates aren't as high which should be an indication that reform is needed in the criminal justice system to adjust to the times we are in now with newer laws being passed.

The growth and monopolization of prisons is another reason for why reformation is needed. The prison industry is one of the fastest growing multimillion dollar industries in the U.S. that has its own "trade exhibitions, conventions, websites, and mail-order/Internet catalogs. It also has direct advertising campaigns, architecture companies, construction companies, investment houses on Wall Street, plumbing supply companies, food supply companies, armed security, and padded cells in a large variety of colors" (Mohr). The source also states that private prisons receive a guaranteed amount of money for each prisoner, aside from what it costs for the inmate to live there. The motive shouldn't be to lock up our citizens but rather to help correct their behavior through either counseling or rehabilitation activities. To bring these numbers in perspective, an executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative stated a couple years back "in 1970 there were roughly 350,000 inmates in our prisons. Today there are more than 2.2 million which means 1 in every 31 Americans is subject to some form of correctional control" (Heuvel).

Capital punishment is still a rather large topic in the United States. 35 states still use capital punishment as of 2013. Critics of the death penalty point to numerous flaws within capital punishment such as the execution of innocent people, the racial bias and social-economic bias just to name a few. The death penalty also costs billions in tax payer's dollars. Studies show that in the past 40 years, for every 9 people the government has executed, one person was on death row was found innocent. In any other industry this error percentage would be intolerable, and have to be fixed immediately, but when someone's life doesn't affect yours personally, people in today's society are reluctant to speak up. A key part of what needs reformation is the mixture of drugs used in executions throughout the U.S. A significant event was brought to the nation's attention on May 2, 2014 in the execution of Clayton Lockett, who was administered three different drugs as part of the lethal injection process. Lockett underwent a 43-minute heart attack after the first injection and suffered during the process. The three-drug process involves first injecting the person with a sedative, typically followed by a drug to paralyze the body and then stop the inmate's heart. Another case in Tucson Arizona describes a death row inmate who suffered two hours in agony before dying from lethal injection after being injected with 15 times the amount of a sedative and painkiller they typically used for this process. Death row is not supposed to be an agonizing process in which the inmate suffers, gasping for life but rather a process that should execute the inmate with as little harm and as quick as possible. A clear resolution to this would be to eliminate capital punishment, or move to a single drug for lethal injections, or a firing squad.

A majority of the presidential candidates address criminal justice reform in their debates and on their campaign websites, and appear to be in favor of lessening the severity of certain laws that the public finds harsh. From the speeches the candidates gave along with what they posted on their campaign site, it is evident that each candidate has an idea for reforming a part of the criminal justice system whether it regards law enforcement and traffic stops, reducing mandatory sentencing, or a solution to reducing racial disparity for drug crimes. 

"Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Rand Paul want to ease mandatory minimum sentences. Gov. Chris Christie wants to release nonviolent offenders pending trial without bail. Gov. Scott Walker, former Gov. Rick Perry and former Senator James Webb want to expand drug treatment as an alternative to prison. Senator Marco Rubio wants to make it harder to convict federal defendants without proving intent" (Baker).

The Recent events that the candidates such as Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Mark Rubio, Ben Carson, and Ted Cruz focused on where the incidents that occurred in Ferguson, Charleston and Baltimore as examples for why change is needed in the criminal justice system. When citizens feel as if certain laws do not fit in or should belong in this generation, the government should notice this and act on it. A book was recently released in which it featured a series of essays written by the presidential candidates who all agree that "the criminal justice system is flawed and needs to be revised" (Washington Post). Democrats and Republicans are putting forth ideas that are both in favor for reforming the criminal justice system which shows the severity of the topic, since both parties are coming together with the same ideas.

Just because the U.S. is the top superpower of the world doesn't mean that it is flawless. The evident flaws of the criminal justice system are something that the citizens are affected by daily which outsiders from other countries may not experience. Minimizing sentencing, reducing the monopolization of prisons, capital punishment, and the "War on Drugs" should all be reasons why reformation is needed in the criminal justice system. Reformation is evidently a big issue if politics from both parties share the same ideas on where change is needed. As the times change so should the laws, the should reflect what the current generation voted on since those laws will govern that generation and many more to come until another generation feels as if change is necessary.  

